The winners of Financial Advice New Zealand’s inaugural Excellence in Advice Awards were revealed at its National Advisers Conference Gala Dinner on 27 September in Rotorua.
The three winners were:
- Camilla Gribble, IKONIK KiwiSaver & Insurance Specialists
- Ryan Smuts, Kris Pedersen Mortgages
- Tim Fairbrother, RIVAL Wealth
The judges were looking for four key qualities among the nominees which included:
- Thought leadership – A member who is recognized as someone who considers current practices with a view to developing a vision for the future.
- Service excellence – A member who consistently meets and exceeds client expectations.
- Innovation – A member who applies better solutions for client requirements, identifies unarticulated needs for new or existing clients with the provision of more effective products, processes, services, technologies or business models.
- Services to the advice profession – A member who is known for their contribution to the financial advice sector.
The Awards were judged by Financial Dispute Resolution Service Scheme Director, Trevor Slater; TripleJump Managing Director, Cecilia Farrow CLU; and Financial Services Federation Executive Director, Lyn McMorran.
Gribble’s referees commended her client-centric approach to financial advice, the quality of that advice and her involvement in industry leadership but the judges said that they were most impressed with her work in providing financial literacy education programmes to the lower socio-economic community in her area.
“Camilla innately understands the important role of financial knowledge in helping Kiwis make good decisions and achieve what they aspire to. Her work in the community is something to be very proud of; she is a great ambassador for advice and sharing knowledge for the benefit of Kiwis,” commented Farrow.
Relatively new to mortgage advice, Smuts impressed the judges with his ability to ‘think outside the box’ to help his clients achieve their goals and his passion in continuing to look after clients well after securing a home loan for them.
“Ryan really understands the relationship nature of advice and has implemented a range of ways that he can be there for his clients on an ongoing basis. His passion for how technology can support an exemplary experience for his clients as well as support his new business as it grows is impressive,” said McMorran.
Fairbrother’s work in giving back to the financial advice community, which has included writing advice articles, attending Government ‘round table’ meetings and conducting information presentations, was a standout to the judges.
“Tim devotes a considerable amount of time to industry discussion and sharing valuable knowledge with his community. He is passionate about creating a thriving advice profession and helping New Zealanders increase their financial knowledge. He exhibits great leadership and we are very pleased to acknowledge his contribution to advice and to his community,” said Slater.